Some were thankful for the company, others were glad for the full meal, and all who gathered Tuesday at Queen of the Miraculous Medal School applauded the volunteers who hustled around them.

"They make me feel as though God loves me and brighten my day," said Lauren Merrill of Jackson, who ate Tuesday afternoon at the Catholic parish's ninth annual Christmas dinner.

The dinner, made possible by hundreds of volunteers and donors, is organized to feed community members who may otherwise have nowhere to go or lack the income to make a holiday meal possible, said Estelle Clary, chairwoman of the event.

Clary said she and others worked on the dinner for eight weeks, recruiting volunteers and getting area businesses to contribute dishes, food and other items. About 500 people and businesses gave their time or supplies, or helped raise money, she said.

About 175 people spent Christmas working at the church. They served food to about 300, cleared and washed dishes, and greeted guests. Many of them were wearing Christmas sweaters or Santa Claus hats.

A band played holiday music on the stage. White cloths strung with Christmas lights and marked with painted evergreen trees were draped across the gym's bleachers.

If not for the dinner, Merrill said green beans likely would have been her meal Tuesday afternoon. Merrill came to the school with her fiance, Randy Mentink of Rives Junction, and is having financial difficulties.

For Mentink, fish sticks would have been the main course at home.

"Life is challenging right now," Merrill said.

But she said the volunteers and diners still "make me feel like a winner."

Marcy Slager of Jackson and her husband have offered their assistance to the event for several years. Slager said her husband's children live out of the state or the country.

"So this is our family today," she said. "It's a wonderful thing to do."

Chris Carleton ate his dinner at a table decorated with red flowers. He said he has no family nearby.

"I'd rather come here than sit around the house all day with nothing to do," said Carleton, 36.

Helen Thornsbury, 52, who shared a table with Carleton and lives alone, expressed similar sentiments.

Her children visit others on Christmas.

Thornsbury said her sister, who died in June 2005, once attended the school. "Coming here makes me feel a little closer to her at Christmas time," she said.

Really, the event is about "building community," Clary said. "It's a neat way to spend Christmas."